The October tournament will be a watershed moment for the country and will mark the first time that professional female golfers have played there competitively JEDDAH: The inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International, the first female professional golf tournament to be played in Saudi Arabia, has been rescheduled for Oct. 8-11 after its postponement last month due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new date for the $1 million event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club was agreed on by tournament promoters and owners, Golf Saudi, and the Ladies European Tour (LET), and will see some of the world’s finest golfing talent arrive on Saudi shores for the historic occasion. Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, chairman of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, said: “It gives me great pleasure to confirm that we are working toward a new date of Oct. 8-11 for the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by the Public Investment Fund. We will, of course, continue to work closely with health authorities both domestically and across the region in the interim but are hopeful that we will be able to bring this momentous occasion to Saudi Arabia in six months’ time. “As we focus upon the necessary precautions, we would like to pay particular thanks to all of our sponsors, partners and players, who have shown unwavering commitment through these unprecedented times and it is due to their support that we are now able to announce a revised date for this landmark occasion.’’ The October tournament will be a watershed moment for the country and will mark the first time that professional female golfers have played there competitively, breaking new ground in Saudi Arabia’s transformation as part of Vision 2030. The LET reiterated its commitment to visiting Saudi Arabia following recent developments and echoed Golf Saudi’s calls to ensure the inaugural tournament lives up to its billing. Alexandra Armas, LET CEO, said: “Postponing the inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International ... originally scheduled to take place in March, was a difficult decision. However, we have been extremely impressed by Golf Saudi’s commitment to working through the challenges and making this historic event happen. We would like to thank all stakeholders for their incredible support, and I am sure that this fantastic new tournament will be one of the major highlights of 2020.” One of the richest tournaments on the LET schedule, the hosting of the Aramco Saudi Ladies International demonstrates Saudi Arabia’s commitment to increase golf participation significantly through an ambitious development program. The Kingdom already has a strong track record when it comes to staging high-level sporting fixtures, including major football, boxing, motorsport and equestrian events. For information about Golf Saudi and the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, please visit: https://www.golfsaudi.com/en-us/ladies-international/